Guild of the Burning Fox
by AuraCaster
Summary: While on his way to the town of Brightvale, Vincent is attacked, robbed of his belongings, and left to die alone in the forest, and he would have, had a young Umbreon not found him. After awakening within the walls of the Burning Fox guild, he has no other choice but to join them to survive; however, he was unaware about what exactly made this guild so different from many others.
1. Chapter 1

**Welcome to my newest story, this story is set in my own Pokemon Mystery Dungeon world, and is planned to be a slice-of-life/harem story. I hope you enjoy.**

 **Rated M for: Lemons, death, gore, sexual themes, and probably a shit ton of other mature content.**

* * *

 _ **Chapter 1: An unexpected guest**_

What began as a peaceful summer afternoon, quickly turned into a nightmarish hellscape, as plumes of debris and smoke arose from the once quiet Brightvale Forest.

A lone tree crashed to the earth as a bypedal pokemon had collided with it's trunk, the immense force from the impact shattered the wood, as the pokemon broke through, he passed over a dirt road, and crashed into a tree at the other side, leaving a large crater in the trunk, but not letting him pass through like the other.

He fell to the ground, gasping for breath, as he struggled to his feet. Their body shook violently from the unbearable pain, his back stinging fiercely from the splinters embedded within, and his side burning violently from the large gash that continued to spill his blood, making him woozy from loss of the vital red liquid.

Two dark figures walked up to the fallen tree on the opposite side of the path, one stood on two legs, while the other on four; the two legged pokemon had razor sharp claws, and a headdress of red feathers, while the one on four legs had a pair of large, curled horns, and a bone-like armour covering his back.

"Why don't you just hand over all your shit, then we might let you die a quick, and painless death," the two legged figure cackled, scraping his claws against the shattered stump of the fallen tree.

The injured pokemon spat blood from his mouth, "Fuck off, assholes! I worked hard for this gold, and you're not getting any of it" He shouted back, baring the bloody fangs within his muzzle, and covering his side with a blood soaked paw.

The four legged figure grinned wickedly, "Hah! Should I roast this punk?" He asked the other pokemon, a few embers falling from his mouth as he spoke.

The other one smiled, "Be my guest, my ice attacks won't do much anyways, but just make sure you don't burn the bag this time, we lost a hefty amount last time because of you, and the boss wouldn't be too impressed if it happened again."

The second figure chuckled, "Heh, don't worry, I got this." The pokemon opened his mouth wide, a blaze forming at the back of his throat, then within a few seconds, he unleashed the flames in an intimidating roar. His target stood motionless, only able to raise his arms, and brace for the intense heat.

After the inferno had subsided, the victim of the blaze had fallen to the ground, his body full of cuts, bruises, and burns. The two dark pokemon cackled, as they crossed the dirt path, and crouched down next to him, looting his bag, and stealing everything he had.

The last thing he saw as a blurred darkness filled his vision, were the two pokemon laughing, as they walked away with his belongings, leaving him to die a slow, and very painful death.

* * *

The sun began setting on another succeful day of foraging, the forest began growing dark as a young Umbreon strolled down the path, humming a little tune to herself, as her rings began to glow with the coming darkness.

She giggled to herself, "Oooh, Master Dana is gonna be so proud of me," she praised herself.

The happy and proud Umbreon finally reached the last path that would lead her out of the forest, and back into her home village, however, she slowed her pace when she saw a tree lying across the ground, along with the hundreds of wooden shards that surrounded the stump. She continued to look at the tree as she passed, but froze in plaze when she felt her paw dip into something wet.

She looked down, jumping back when she saw the splatter of red liquid, shaking her paw wildly to try and rid it of the substance. Taking a couple steps back, she could see even more blood spots as her view of the trail widened. A glimmer by the trail's edge caught her attention, snapping her gaze towards what looked like a very thin stream of blood, slowly flowing from behind a bush. Nearly every fiber of her being told her to run, but she didn't, thinking of the possibility that this blood might be coming from an injured pokemon, and their life could be in danger.

Being very cautious, the small fox quietly approached the bush, peeking her head around just enough to notice an unmoving leg covered in grey fur. Now worried that it might actually be an injured pokemon, she looked around a little farther, jerking back as she gasped in utter horror, now seeing the badly injured form of a Lucario, a large gash went up the right side of his abdomen, flowing into a pool large pool on the ground, the only sign of life being the very slow movement of his chest, rising and falling with his very faint, and faulty breaths.

The Umbreon quickly felt sickness rising within her, she wanted to run, but she didn't want to leave this poor pokemon alone to die. Making a decision, she stepped into the blood, she didn't like how warm it felt on her paws, but she pushed back the sickness she felt, and did her best to carefully hoist the much heavier pokemon onto her back, and running as fast as she could back to town, shivering as she felt his warm blood spilling onto her dark fur.

Worried he wouldn't survive the treck back, she had to stop for a moment, carfully sliding the Lucario off her back, and using her psychic energy to pull some bandages from her bag, and quickly cover the wound, before she hoiseted him onter her back again, and continued running towards town, _"Please, don't die,"_ she begged, repeating it over and over in her mind, hoping the strange Lucario would survive the trip back to the guild.

* * *

A dark ball of energy flew past the head of a yellow fox, who quickly ducked out of the way, "Hah! Nice try, Shelby, but you're too slow to land a hit on me!" The fox drew a stick from her tail, igniting the tip, and pointing it toward a somewhat taller fox with black fur, sending forward a blast of intense fire, lighting up the darkened plot of dirt they fought on.

The dark fox leaped into the air to avoid the flames, landing gracefully on her front paws, then quickly pushing off, and flipping back into a fighting stance, "Same goes for you too, Carla!" She shouted back, her long red hair blowing in the cool wind.

As the two pokemon continued to spar, a Lopunny had stepped outside onto the deck, and called over to the two foxes, "Alright girls, it's time to come in for supper..." She paused as her ears perked up, hearing the distant sound of booming thunder, she looked to the sky, and noticed dark clouds quickly coming in overhead, "Pick up the pace, girls, it looks like a storm's coming, and you know how Guildmaster Dana feels about tracking mud inside the guild."

They both looked at the rabbit, Shelby waved as she called back, "Okay, Tanya, we'll be right there!" The Lopunny nodded, taking one last concerned glance at the approaching clouds, before going back inside, leaving the door open for the two foxes. Carla and Shelby looked at one another, "Wanna finish this tomorrow?" Shelby asked, as they began walking towards the building, blinking as light raindrops splashed against their faces.

"I guess, I can wait another day to kick your ass." The two chuckled as they stepped inside, closing the sliding door behind them, and headed over to the guild's dining hall. They both took there usual seats next to each other, waiting for the other members to arrive before the food could be served. A few minutes had passed, and everyone was in the room and seated, with the exception of the seat right next to Shelby.

The Delphox sitting at the head of the large table looked at the Lopunny to her left, "Tanya, have you seen Umbra? She should've been back by now." The Delphox glanced out the window, hearing thunder rumble in the sky as rain showered the building, "Oh dear, I hope she'll be okay, you know how she gets during storms."

Tanya pat her friend on the shoulder, "Don't worry, I'm sure she's on her way back right now."

Sure enough, a loud bang echoed through the building, followed by worried cries for help, many of the guild members recognized the voice as the sweet and innocent Umbra's, but she usually doesn't sound so worried.

The Delphox stood up, along with Carla, Shelby, and Tanya, and they all rushed out of the room, a few pokemon following behind them. When they arrived at the main entrance, members crowded around the Umbreon that stood soaked from both rain, and blood, "Please! Someone get Master Dana!" She pleaded.

The Delphox pushed her way to the front of the crowd, gasping when she saw the innocent little Umbreon, carrying the beaten form of a Lucario on her back, "Everyone, give us some room!" She called, turning back to the blood soaked Umbreon, "Quick, take him to the infirmary."

The Umbreon struggled to pull the heavy pokemon, having used up most of her strength just trying to get him to the guild, Carla and Shelby noticed this, and quickly went to their friend's aid, "Don't worry," Carla said.

"We got this," Shelby finished. They both hoisted the injured pokemon up, and carried him to the infirmary.

As the two did that, Dana caught a glance at the fighting type, and noticed some hastily wrapped bandages around his torso, the right side looked soaked with blood. Dana kneeled down, "What happened, Umbra? Where did you find this Lucario?" She asked.

Umbra was having a hard time speaking, hics and sobs filled her voice "I... I-I found him in the-the woods, i-it looked like he was about to die." Umbra had begun tearing up as she remembered the sight of his mangled body.

Dana pat her on the head, "I'm proud of you, you've come a long way since joining the guild." Dana stood up, and turned to her assistant, "Tanya, please get a bath ready for Umbra, she looks like she could really use one."

The Lopunny nodded, and lead the Umbreon to the guild's bath. Meanwhile, Dana decided to go to the infirmary, and check on their unexpected visitor. With everyone so distracted by what was happening, no one paid any mind to the Ninetales within the crowd, glaring at the Lucario as he was carried into the infirmary, scoffing, and going back to the dinning hall once thay had shut the door.

* * *

Daylight began shining into the room, reflecting off the many glass jars on the shelves that contained different coloured medicinal herbs and concoctions. In one of the beds, lay the injured Lucario, his old bandages had been replaced, and the splinters were removed from his back.

He groaned as he slowly opened his eyes, he began to sit up, but yelped and grabbed his side in pain, alerting the Lopunny within the room.

She stood up from her seat at a small table, and walked towards him with a bowl of ground herbs, "Oh good, you're finally awake," she said, with a smile.

The Lucario looked around, he let out a loud cough, and a short wheeze, "Wh-where am I? How did I get here?" He asked, his voice raspy and dry.

The Lopunny picked up a cup of water from the bedside table, and handed it to him, "Here, drink," the Lopunny told him.

He took the cup, and downed the water quickly, not realizing how thirsty he was, "Thank you, but can you answer my question now?"

The Lopunny nodded, taking the cup, and setting it on the table, "You're currently in our guild's infirmary, one of our members had found you in the forest on her way back from her foraging job, you lost a lot of blood, and we were worried that you wouldn't wake up."

He scratched his head, "How long was I out?"

The rabbit shyed away, "Uhm... About two days."

The jackal's eyes widened, "What? I was out for two days?" He thought for a moment, "Huh, no wonder I was so thirsty." Immediately, his stomach began to growl, "Eheh, you wouldn't by any chance have anything to eat would you?"

"Mh-hm, I'll go get you some berries," she handed over the bowl she was holding, "but first, I need you to take this, it'll help you regain a bit of health."

He looked at the bowl's contents and shrugged, taking the wooden spoon from inside, he scooped some up and ate it, there was a hint of bitterness, but it was nicely masked by the mixed taste of pecha and oran berries, he ate the small amount of medice, and handed the bowl back to the Lopunny, he thanked her, and she left the room to fetch the stranger some food.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the door, Umbra sat on a bench, with Carla and Shelby by her sides, when they noticed Tanya leaving the room, they entered to check on the Lucario; seeing that he had finally awoken, the three curious girls approached him.

"Um, hello?" He greeted, his voice sounding very confused, Carla and Shelby thought nothing of it, but Umbra hid behind the Zoroark for protection from the stranger. He noticed this and spoke up, "What's with her?" He asked.

Shelby lifted her arm and checked on the Umbreon, "Oh, she's just really shy, even though she was the one who brought you back here."

The blue canine perked up, "Really? Well... thanks a lot, I thought I was gonna die out there."

Carla stepped forward, "Speaking of which, who did this to you? You were on the verge of bleeding out when Umbra got you here."

"So that's your name?" He asked, looking at the cowering Umbreon, whom only gave a small nod, "Well, I might as well introduce myself first, I'm Vincent."

Carla sighed, impatiently pointing her thumb at herself, "My name's Carla, the Zoroark is Shelby, and you already know who Umbra is. Now, what happened while you were in the forest?" She asked again, her tone growing serious, and a bit irritated.

Vincent leaned his head back a bit, looking at the Braixen curiousely, "Nice to meet you?"

Shelby placed a paw on Carla's shoulder and stepped forward, "Sorry about her, she's got a bit of an attitude," she said, looking at Carla, who just looked away and huffed.

Vincent looked at them, still unsure about the three, "Well... to answer your question, I was just passing through the forest, but I got attacked by some pokemon for no reason..."

"Wait, you were attacked?" Carla asked. Vincent grew curious about the fire fox, wondering why her emotions seemed all over the place.

She was swatted lightly by the Zoroark, "Carla, let him speak." Shelby sighed, and faced Vincent, "Sorry about that, but did you see who they were?"

"I don't know who they were, and I don't remember much about the fight, all I know is it was a Weavile, and a Houndoom that attacked me, everything else is a blur." He looked towards the girls with a serious stare, it kinda creeped them out, but they didn't show it, except for Umbra, who was still behind the much taller dark fox. "Now, I have a question for you, that Lopunny mentioned I was at a guild, what guild is this exactly?"

"Oh, that was Tanya, she's the guildmaster's assistant," Shelby answered.

Carla put her paws on her hips, sticking her nose up in confidence, "And as for our guild, we're known as Burning Fox." The way she spoke made it seem she was very proud of that name, like it held great importance for her.

Vincent swore he'd heard that name from somewhere, but he couldn't recall when, and since he didn't think it mattered right now, he just brushed it off, "Well, thanks for helping me," Vincent tried to sit up again, but quickly fell back as the pain hit him.

Surprisingly, Umbra stepped out from behind Shelby, and scolded the injured Lucario, "Careful! You're still too hurt to move right now." Vincent just groaned in response.

They all looked back as the door slid open, Tanya walking in with a plate of food for their unexpected guest, "Sorry I took so long..." She paused when she noticed the three girls gathered around the bed, "What are you girls doing in here? Don't you all have work to do?"

"We finished everything this morning, besides, we're just checking up on Vincent." Carla said, her hands on her hips.

Assuming they were talking about the Lucario, Tanya looked at them all a bit unsure, "Uh-huh, well, Vincent still needs some rest, he just woke up from a two day coma, so you shouldn't be bothering him." She walked over and helped the Lucario sit up, handing him the wooden plate, "Here you go, fresh from the garden."

Vincent took the plate, "Thank you, ma'am."

"Anything else you need at the moment, a book or something?"

A smile tugged at his lips, grateful for the Lopunny's help, "I suppose something to read would be nice, anything that could keep me busy for a while."

"I think we have something that would work." Tanya walked over to a shelf, unlike every other shelf in the room, this one was stocked with books, instead of medical supplies. She glided her finger across the bindings, picking out a big, brown one, and returning to Vincent's side.

He put his plate on the bedside table, taking the book when she held it out to him, and he actually smiled when he noticed the cover, "An Adventurer's Journal?" He opened the book and looked inside, "I love reading these things, they're why I actually became an adventurer in the first place." Carla and Shelby's ears perked up in curiosity.

"Well, the guild's library is full of them, I can fetch a few more for you later if you'd like?" Vincent looked to the Lopunny, thanking her happily, and quickly flipped through the book to the first chapter. "Come on, girls, let's leave him be for now."

Umbra didn't argue, following Tanya to the door, but she looked back, and saw the other two still by the bed, "Guys? We need to go."

Vincent looked up from the book, only now seeing the two foxes staring at him, making him quite uncomfortable, "Uh, do you need something?"

"You're really an adventurer?!" The book nearly flew from his hands, as Vincent jumped from their sudden, and very loud, question. He yelped in pain from his sudden movements, getting the attention of the Lopunny, who returned to the room to check up on Vincent, sighing when she saw Carla and Shelby standing by his sides.

"What did I just tell you girls?" She asked, scolding the two.

Carla was going to argue, but Shelby grabbed her muzzle, stopping her from speaking, "We're sorry, Tanya, it's just... _exciting_ to be meeting a real adventurer." She looked back at Vincent, the seductive hint to her voice making him gulp.

Carla smacked away Shelby's paw, "What the hell? Why'd you do that?"

The taller fox looked down at her, her hint of seduction flashing away in an instant, being replaced by full on irritation, "Because you don't know when to shut your mouth, and I'd rather not get in more trouble because of it."

As the two butt heads, Tanya went up to Vincent and sighed, "Sorry, Vincent, these two have a tendency to get like this... even though they're good friends."

"It's... fine?" He said, unsure of it himself.

Turning to the two girls, Tanya grabbed their ears and pulled down, showing a lot of strength for such a small bunny, "You two, you're coming with me to Guildmaster Dana." As she passed the Umbreon, she turned to her with a smile, "Sweetie, could you make sure Vincent is okay? I have my hands full at the moment."

Still a bit shy, but not wanting to disobey her, Umbra nodded her head, "O-okay, I'll do my best." Tanya thanked her, turning her attention back to the other two, and dragging them by the ears to the Guildmaster. Umbra turned to Vincent, seeing him hiss and grunt through his teeth, as he tried to adjust himself on the bed. She still felt very shy around the Lucario, but she was given a job, and she intended to do it, "H-hold on, I-I'll help."

Vincent watched the Umbreon walk over to his bed, she did her best to support him as he moved into a sitting position, picking up the book next, and passing it up to him, "Thanks," he told her, but Umbra shyed away, mumbling something under her breath, "Huh?"

She sighed, working up enough courage to increase her volume, now only talking above a whisper, "Your welcome." She walked around the bed, and started walking towards the door, but stopped when she heard Vincent call to her.

"Hold on a minute, Umbra. I... wanna talk to you about something." She slowly turned around, her tail starting to curl between her legs, as she walked up to the stranger. Vincent rubbed his neck, "Look, Umbra, I wanted to thank you, for everything... I would have died out there if it wasn't for you..."

Umbra still felt very shy, but surprisingly, she actually started to calm down a bit, her tail slowly uncurling too, "It's okay... I'm sorry for Carla and Shelby, even though they argue a lot, they want to become the guild's greatest exploration team, but they _are_ really good pokemon, and I wouldn't be here right now if it weren't for them..."

"Wow... Well, if there's anything I can do to thank you for saving me, just let me know, okay?"

Umbra blushed a bit, she'd never been spoken to so kindly by a male, "It's fine, I'm just glad you're going to be okay."

Vincent looked forward, staring at the book in front of him, "You say they want to be an exploration team, right?" Umbra looked at him confused, confirming his words, "I guess if they want, I could tell them a bit about my travels."

"Vincent, you don't need to-"

"It's fine, Umbra... You said you wouldn't be here if it weren't for them, so you wouldn't have been able to save me, so, I guess I owe them as well... And this might be a good way of doing it."

Umbra looked unsure, "Are you sure? You don't have to."

He gave her a friendly smile, "It's fine, really, tell them to come by a little later, it'll give me some time to think about what to say."

"Okay... Bye, Vincent." Umbra walked to the door, putting her paw into a small indent to slide it open, and walking out into the main room, making sure to shut the door right after.

* * *

The sun began to set on another succesful day at the guild, each member had gathered in the dining hall for supper. Sitting at the table, quietly eating her food, Umbra was between her two friends, who were still upset with each other, but have actually calmed down a bit since earlier.

Umbra sighed, deciding to let them know about Vincent's request, "Carla, Shelby, I talked with Vincent after you guys left."

"Yeah? What about?" Shelby asked.

"Well, he offered to tell us about his travels." Carla and Shelby both looked at the Umbreon, making her a bit uncomfortable, "W-what?"

"For real? You got him to tell us about them? How'd you do it?" Carla asked.

"N-no, I didn't make him do anything, he offered to after I mentioned you guys liked adventures," she explained.

Shelby rubbed her chin, "Could he be trying to impress us for some reason?"

Carla crossed her arms, "If he was, why would he have told this to Umbra, and not us? Maybe he's attracted to girls with smaller, flatter butts?"

Umbra blushed, glancing back at her rump, shifting her tail a bit to the side, _"I'm not that flat... am I?"_

Shelby shook her head, "Maybe he just likes shy girls, I mean, the two of us are probably too outgoing for his taste, and he probably wants a submissive girl for se-"

"Guys!" Umbra shouted, getting flustered and raising her voice, catching the attention of the two, plus a few others.

"Umbra? Is something the matter?" Dana asked, concerned for the young fox.

"N-no, Guildmaster... I'm fine..." Everyone went back to eating, although a bit surprised by the shy Umbreon's outburst, they didn't pay her any mind.

Dana sighed, "Umbra, you hardly ever raise your voice, so there's obviousely something going on. If you'd like, we can talk about it in private."

Umbra quickly shook her head, her blush growing, "No... I was just trying to tell these two that Vincent wanted us to stop by, but they started taking it the wrong way... it's not important."

The Delphox sighed, looking at the two troublemakers, "I understand, once you're finished eating, you can go see him, but please, make sure you don't cause any trouble," she looked down to the Umbreon, "can I trust you to keep these two in check?"

She gulped, "Yes, Guildmaster, I'll do my best." Dana nodded, and they continued eating; Carla, Shelby, and Umbra going to the infirmary once they were finished.

* * *

When they arrived, Vincent looked up from the book he had recieved earlier, he was genuinely happy to see Umbra, though he wasn't quite too sure about the other two yet, forcing a smile as he closed the book, setting it down on his lap to read later.

"Hey, guys," he greeted, trying his best to genuinely sound happy about the two troublemakers in the room.

Shelby smirked, starting to walk towards him with a seductive sway to her hips, "Hey, handsome, you wanted to see us?" She asked, crossing her arms under her modest C-cup bust, and intentionally pushing them up to make them seem bigger.

Vincent gulped, shifting the book a bit, as he was starting to think that maybe this was a bad idea, "W-well, Umbra told me you two were into adventures, so I figured I could at least share some of my travels..."

Carla walked over and leaned up against a support beam, crossing her arms under her moderately smaller bust, "So, what kind of adventures have you gone on? Have you discovered any great treasures? Beaten any really powerful pokemon?"

Vincent looked away, his face looking a little guilty, he didn't think their expectations would be so high, "Well, uhm, you see..."

"Something wrong?" Umbra asked.

"You didn't lie about being an adventurer, did you?" Carla questioned, raising a brow.

"N-no, I am an adventurer, I just didn't think you'd have such... high expectations of me."

Shelby dropped her arms, putting her paws on her hips, and cocking them to the side, "Well, I got my hopes up for some great adventures, but some smaller ones might be able to help me sleep just as fine."

An irritated vein showed up on Carla's forehead, she glared to the far wall, mumbling "Fucking wierdo" under her breath.

Vincent sighed, "Look, I've gone through a lot of dungeons and areas, but I can't even complete the low level ones without some sort of help."

Carla almost looked pissed, feeling like her time had just been wasted, "Well this has been riveting, I'd love to stay and chat more about it, but I'm headin' upstairs, goodnight." She didn't even try to hide the sarcasm in her tone, as she started walking away to the door.

This time, a vein appeared on Shelby's forehead, "What the hell is your problem, Carla?"

She turned around and snapped back at the taller fox, "Well sorry for thinking Vincent was some powerful explorer!" Carla paused for a second, remembering what Dana and Tanya had said before leaving supper. She took a breath, and kept calm, "Look, I'm just dissapointed right now, I was really hoping to hear about amazing adventures, it doesn't mean I'm mad at him, just a bit upset... anywho, night guys." Carla walked to the door, exiting the room, and leaving the other two alone with Vincent.

Shelby turned back to the Lucario, "Sorry about that, Vincent, she's just a bit of a hothead, we've always dreamed of becoming great explorers, but neither of us can even complete a C-rank job without the other," Shelby let out a quick yawn, "anywho, it is kinda getting a bit late, we should be heading back upstairs and turn in for the night."

Vincent watched the bypedal fox walk to the door, her hips swaying like earlier, but much more naturally this time. The smaller dark type fox yawned as well, "Probably a good idea, I have a few more foraging jobs I need to do in the morning, so I need to get some sleep, goodnight, Vincent." Umbra followed Shelby to the door, Vincent once again shifted the book on his lap, watching the Umbreon's butt from the corner of his eye, as it swayed while she walked out of the room, and turned out of sight.

Shelby was about to step out too, but glanced back to the Lucario with a seductive smirk, "Goodnight, Vincent, sweet dreams." She stepped into the main hall, looking back one last time with another smirk, "By the way, try not to be too loud down here, the walls don't do a very good job blocking out the sound," she told him, glancing down at the book on his lap.

Vincent felt his cheeks grow warm, turning away as he shifted his legs, "Uhm... okay?" He meakly responded. Shelby chuckled, closing the door, and leaving Vincent alone in the room. After he heard the footsteps leave, he moved the book to reveal the large bulge had been hiding the whole time they were there. He held his paws to his face and sighed, _"Oh, Arceus, what've I gotten myself into this time?"_

* * *

 **Hope you all enjoyed my newest story, 'cause I sure as hell do.**

 **Wanna show your support? Favourite and follow my stories, and if you have something you wanna say, then feel free to leave a review, I read all PMs and reviews, and answer any questions to the best of my abilities, showing my answers in a "reviews" section at the beginning of each chapter. Positive feedback really motivates me, and I like interacting with my readers. Also, check out my profile for more stories.**

 **One last thing, I've actually been beta reading a story for** _ **ShadowForge**_ **(as of chapter 8)** **, it's called "Reign of Darkness", and it's really interesting. I wanna help his story grow like mine have, so I've been trying to teach him a few things that I've picked up over this past year. So go check that out, and give him some support too.**

 **That's all for now, thanks for reading.  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry this took so long to get out, I have two other stories that I'm currently writing, plus some stuff going on in real life. But if you wanna check out my other two stories, you can head to my profile for more info about them.**

 **Something I should also mention, is this chapter delves a bit deeper into each character's personalities, and how certain things will affect their behaviour. I already have each of their backstories planned, some being much more grim and dark than the others, and the exact reasons for why they act how they do, including Vincent.**

 **So, yeah, this chapter focuses on a bit more character development, plus a bit more insight on this world. So prepare for a rollercoaster of emotions in this chapter.**

* * *

 **=Reviews=**

 **ShadowForge:** Thanks, I actually started planning this story probably a good month before it actually came out, Carla wasn't originally planned to act so... 'violent', and was going to just be... I guess you could say 'ordinary', but I kinda liked the new attitude I gave her. While not much changed with the other two. And yes, I do have some fun banter planned for those two, I purposely made each character's personalities so different for the reason that it would give me much more to work with. Also, something about one (or more) of the characters is going to become pretty obvious in this chapter.

 **TrainerBenji:** To answer your first question, I upload when I feel the chapters are ready; when I first began writing, I would always post them without doing a thorough check for any errors, so they didn't turn out the best quality, but now I make sure everything is in order before posting. As for your second question, I can see why you'd assume that, afterall, the only members that have been shown so far were female. Anyways, thanks for the feedback.

* * *

 _ **Chapter 2: Medicine Run**_

It was the middle of the night, the whole guild was silent, and every member fast asleep in their rooms, with the exception of one.

The door to the infirmary quietly slid open, and the floorboards quietly creaked as paws walked across them, although gently enough to not make enough noise to wake the sleeping Lucario.

The moon's glow was the only light within the room, however, the mysterious pokemon was able to keep to the shadows, keeping themselves hidden from any form of sight. They crept up towards the cabinets, quietly opening them, and gently rummaging through the shelves of medicine, moving a few bottles of herbs and liquid to the wooden table, they began mixing them together in a glass syringe.

With the needle prepped and ready, they quietly tiptoed to the sleeping pokemon, lining up the needle with their arm, and pushing it into their tough flesh. Vincent cringed a bit, but didn't wake, as the contents of the needle kept him asleep and quiet.

Once the fluids were drained into the Lucario's bloodstream, the mysterious pokemon set the needle on the nightstand, and returned to the cabinet; using some psychic energy, they began to remove many of the glass jars and bottles, each filled with herbs and coloured liquids, and gently placing them in a wooden crate. Wanting to stay quiet, they lifted the crate with the same psychic energy, and quietly went back to the door, glancing back at the Lucario with their red eyes, before stepping out of the room, and quietly closing the door.

* * *

Morning had come, shining down on the town of Brightvale, and signalling the start of a new day. The doors of the guild members' rooms slid open, one by one, each of the members tiredly went to the guild's dining hall to get breakfast, before they would begin their busy day of doing jobs.

On the second floor, Carla, Umbra, and Shelby, all awoke to a knock on their door, hearing Tanya's voice on the other side, "Wake up, girls, you gotta eat before heading out for your jobs."

Tiredly sitting up, Shelby stepped onto the wooden floor, bending her body back as she stretched, and letting out a tongue curling yawn while rubbing her eyes, " _Thahnks_ , _Tahnyah_... I'll get the others up." Shelby went over to Umbra, waking her first, but when she tried to wake Carla, the Braixen just swatted her hand away, and rolled over. "Come on, Carla, we gotta get up now."

Groaning in agitation, Carla finally sat up, looking at the taller fox with tired eyes, "Fine, I'm getting up." She stepped down onto the floor, yawning loudly, and started teatering a bit to the side, stumbling as she kept herself from falling.

Umbra was concerned for her friend, coming up to ask what was wrong, "Carla, are you alright? Usually you can't wait to pick out a job and go."

The Braixen yawned again, " _I know_... I just didn't get much sleep last night... no big deal, just give me some food and I'll be good." The two Dark foxes looked at each other, curious about their friend, but brushed it off for now to help her down to the dining hall.

"Carla, after breakfast, maybe you should get a bit more rest, I'm sure Guildmaster Dana wouldn't mind." Umbra suggested.

Carla yawned again, not showing much emotion on her face, "Mmh, maybe you're right... but, I wanna check on Vincent first." She looked away a bit as she said this.

"Why? You didn't really act too 'friendly' last night, so what's with the sudden attitude change?" Shelby inquired.

Carla stayed silent, avoiding eye contact with the Zoroark like she felt guilty over something. They reached the bottom of the stairs, leading their friend through the back hallway, and through a door to the dining hall, each sitting down in their usual seats; finally, Carla decided to respond, surprising the two with what she said, "I... want to apologize to him..."

"Wow, you really aren't yourself when your tired, huh?" Shelby asked, taking a bit of food from what was laid across the long table.

"I'm serious, guys, I messed up... he didn't deserve it..." Carla was acting completely different to how she normally would, it kinda scared them, since she'd usually never want to actually 'apologize', and sound like she really meant it.

The two were going to comfort her some more, but Tanya burst into the room in a panic, "Dana, it's an emergency! Something's wrong with Vincent!"

Stopping what she was doing, Dana quickly stood up and followed the Lopunny. Umbra and Shelby looked at Carla, and how her face grew very worried. "Carla?" Umbra asked, about to nudge her with her paw, but pulled back when she suddenly stood up and ran out the door, Shelby and Umbra looking at each other confused, before getting up and following the Fire type.

* * *

Stepping into the room, they saw Tanya by the medical cabinets, and Dana standing near Vincent, seeing that he wasn't moving, other than the slow movement of his chest from his weak breathing.

"What's going on?" Shelby asked, catching the attention of the two.

Dana turned to her, "It seems Vincent was poisoned last night," she lifted up a used needle, "we found this syringe on his nightstand, so we don't know if he did it himself or not, but Tanya's trying to find an antidote for him."

"Except it looks like every antidotal medicine we have seems to be missing," Tanya called, searching through the cabinets.

"Hold on, I thought Steel types were immune to poisons, why is this effecting him?" Shelby questioned, hurrying over to Vincent's bed.

"They are, although if a strong enough poison is injected into their bloodstream at one time, their immune system can't counter it as fast, especially in such a weak state like this."

"So... Vincent's going to die?" Carla asked.

Dana sighed, "Without knowing exactly how much poison is in his blood, or how potent it is, we can't say for sure if he'll live or not, but it's not looking good for him..."

Umbra held herself close to Shelby, pushing her face into her leg as she started tearing up, "No... I-I don't want him to die..."

Shelby wasn't ready to give up, "Guildmaster, is there a way we can help him? I mean, we get almost all of our herbs from Brightvale Woods, so there's gotta be something that could work."

"I know you're concerned, Shelby, but we don't even know what kinds of poisons are in his system, Tanya's doing everything she can to figure this out." Just as Dana finished her sentence, they heard Tanya gasp.

"Dana, I think I know what happened to him." She lifted a small empty vial with the words 'Venom Spore' written on the label.

"Venom Spore? What's that?" Shelby inquired, as Tanya brought the vial over, explaining to them what the herb was.

"Venom Spore is a highly toxic plant, coming from Venom Bulbs in the marshlands in a far southern region of Vale, and it's the most lethal toxin that has been discovered so far, and without the cure, he might only have until tonight."

Carla quickly snapped her gaze towards the Lopunny, almost having a bit of hope, "Then what's the cure?"

Taken back by her sudden outburst, Tanya went over to the bookshelf and pulled out a large book, flipping through the pages with haste, "I think it was a plant called 'Shaymin's Blessing' or something, give me a second to find it." Umbra suddenly stopped, her eyes widening when she heard the name of the cure, which sounded very familiar to her.

"What the hell is 'Shaymin's Blessing'?" Carla asked, growing impatient.

Continuing to flip through the pages, Tanya stopped when she found the entry, letting out a quick "here it is," and began reciting what was written on the paper, "Shaymin's Blessing: This plant is one of the most powerful curative herbs recorded, even stronger than Revival Herbs, and is said to be one of the world's 'Legendary Blessings'. The stem of this plant is filled with a curative liquid that can either be ingested, or mixed into the bloodstream to cure any toxins within the body, but it is extremely rare, and only grows in a few places throughout Vale."

Tightening her fists, Carla punched at the wall, not strong enough to damage it, but enough to show her anger, "Fuck! Vincent's on the verge of death again, and we can't fucking do anything to help! All because of a stupid flower!"

As Carla hit the wall again, Umbra's ears perked up, "Hold on, I-I think I know where to get one," she said, her voice actually full of hope.

Everyone looked to the small fox. "Where is it?" Tanya question.

Umbra ran out of the room, coming back shortly after with a paper in her mouth. She handed the paper to the rabbit, seeing there was a picture of a plant on it, the words 'Shaymin's Blessing' written in large words at the top, "I found a patch of these in a grove in Brightvale Woods when I was collecting some herbs for a doctor, and I had no idea what they were back then, but I think I remember where I found them."

Shelby looked to the Umbreon, "Good, then me and Carla will go get some right away, so just tell us where we need to go."

"Hold on, Shelby," Dana stepped forward, "I think you should bring Umbra along." The small fox looked up at the Delphox, asking why she'd need to go, "Umbra, it would be much safer if you were to lead them to the grove, they could get lost without a proper guide, and Vincent could die if they don't get back in time."

She couldn't argue with that, Vincent was so nice to her, and she didn't want him to die because she couldn't go into a forest. Umbra gulped, "O-okay, I'll do it."

Dana looking at the three, younger foxes, "Good, you three should leave right away, don't waste any time." Nodding their heads, they ran to their room to grab their bags, and ran out of the building, unaware of the pokemon around the corner of the dining hall's entrance.

* * *

Passing through the east gates of town, the trio of foxes made their way towards the forest's entrance. Shelby held a map in her clawed hands, while Umbra rode on her shoulder to help navigate them.

Extending her paw, Umbra pointed at a spot on the map, "I think they were around this area."

Shelby cocked her head to the side, "Wow, no wonder no one has ever reported seeing Shaymin's Blessing around here, that's one of the deepest parts of the woods, and with all the savage pokemon around that area, no one bothers traveling there."

The small fox shivered, "I know, I'm just glad I survived that..."

Smiling at the Dark fox, Shelby rolled up their map, and put it back in her bag, "So am I, Umbra; you may be one of the fastest pokemon in the guild, and it's no surprise you would have been able to escape them, but I still worry about you when you go off alone." Umbra was a bit surprised when she felt Shelby's head rub against her, "We may not really be related, but I'll always see you as my little sister, Umbra."

Even though Shelby has said this many times before, it always made Umbra feel better, no matter the situation. Returning the smile, Umbra nuzzled against Shelby's cheek, "I know, 'big sis', thank you."

As the two shared their sisterly affection, Carla was silently walking behind them, just staring at the ground as she thought about the Lucario back at the guild, mumbling to herself, "I'm sorry..."

* * *

Making their way through the forest, the three girls traveled farther and farther into the woods; with the fauna growing thicker, the path grew darker, as they delved deeper into the dense forest.

Having left the comfort of the much larger fox's shoulders, Umbra now walked along the path, though still staying close by the Zoroark's side.

"You're positive we're going the right way, Umbra?" Shelby asked.

"Y-yeah, I'm sure it's this way," she said, though her voice said otherwise.

Carla, who's been silent for nearly the entire time, was starting to grow impatient, "Dammit, Umbra! We're fucking lost, aren't we?!" She shouted.

Startled by her sudden outburst, the Umbreon hid behind Shelby, who looked back at the Braixen with an angry scowl, "What the hell, Carla? You don't have to be a bitch to her, she's doing the best she can!"

"Yeah?! Well while we're out here probably walking in fucking circles, Vincent is dying back at the guild!... and it's all my fault…"

Both Umbra and Shelby's eyes widened in shock and confusion, as Carla just lowered her head in despair, "Wait… you did it?" Shelby asked. Carla was about to speak, but was quickly cut off, "Is that why you were so tired this morning? Cause you were waiting for everyone else to be asleep so you could kill him?!"

Carla looked up in shock, "N-no! I-I didn't do it!... but, it's still probably my fault..."

Feeling the anger rising within herself, Shelby stepped forward, "I wouldn't doubt that! You treated Vincent like shit last night!" Again, Carla was about to speak, but didn't get the chance, as Shelby reeled her arm back, and slashed at the Braixen with her claws, leaving three large gashes on her cheek as she fell to the ground.

As Shelby stood above her, Carla put her paw to her cheek, pulling back to see blood soaking her paw, tears falling from her eyes as she put her paw back to her cheek, instinctively trying to stop the bleeding.

"Shelby! Stop it!" Umbra pleaded, running in between the two, "I know Carla isn't always the nicest, but you and I both know she wouldn't kill unless it was life or death!" Knowing Shelby would never hurt her, and that her voice would always snap her out of these blind rages, Umbra felt no fear standing before the Zoroark, "What would Carla have to gain from killing Vincent? And what would you gain from killing her? We have to focus on finding those herbs, otherwise Vincent's gonna die!"

Lifting her paw, Shelby watched as blood dripped from her claws, a few strands of white fur stuck to the tips. Shelby stepped back, realizing what she had just done, "I-I..." She dropped her paw, facing away from the two, "I'm... sorry..."

Umbra rubbed her head against the Zoroark's leg, "It's fine, just please don't do that again," she turned to face the Braixen, "are you okay, Carla?" She asked, leaning down to look at her face.

"...Y-yeah... I'm okay..." Carla kept staring at the ground, her voice hardly above a whisper.

Her eyes glowing faintly, Umbra lifted some medical supplies from her bag, "Here, Carla, move your paw," she ordered, although in her usual gentle voice. The injured fox let go of her face, her white cheek and paw stained red from the blood. Umbra poured a small bit of water on a rag, then started to gently wash away the blood; then, after rinsing off the now bloodied rag, she took a ball of cotton and some disinfectant, dabbing the fluffy clump into the liquid, "This is gonna sting a bit," she warned, gently applying the medicine to her friend's wounds. With the cuts all cleaned, Umbra took some bandages and started to cover the gashes, "There… you gonna be okay?" She asked, putting everything back in her bag.

Carla silently nodded, sitting up on her knees, "Yeah… thank you…" she said, though still in her guilt ridden voice.

As this was going on, Shelby just stood a short distance away, rubbing her arm as she watched Umbra help Carla to her feet. Closing her eyes, Shelby took a quick breath before speaking up, "Will she be okay?"

"Yeah, the gashes are pretty deep, but she should be-" As Umbra faced the Zoroark, her eyes widened in fear, "Shelby! Behind you!" She shouted.

Perking up, the Dark fox turned around, her expression matching Umbra's as she saw the large Ursaring behind her, and it did not look friendly.

The bear lifted it's paw, each claw glowing bright white as it prepared to strike the stunned Dark type; but luckily, she was able to snap out of her initial shock in the nick of time, just barely managing to duck down and avoid a swipe from it's deadly claws, her reflexes and reaction time being too fast for the bulky bear to follow.

Quickly retreating to a safe distance, Shelby felt her heart rate increase exponentially, placing her paw over her chest as she felt it thumping rapidly, "Holy fuck… that was too close." She scowled at the larger pokemon, "What the fuck's your problem, asshole?! We're just trying to find some medicine for our friend!" The Ursaring only responded with a low growl, slowly stepping out of the bushes it was hiding in. As it stepped into the open, Shelby finally got a good look at it, and after noticing it's practically bloodthirsty expression, only one explanation popped into her head, "It's savage," she whispered.

With Carla in the state she was, and Umbra not having any experience in combat, Shelby knew she was the only one able to fight right now; even so, she knew the dangers of fighting savage pokemon, they have no sense of reason, driven by their most basic of instincts, and being completely unpredictable.

They've gone over the dangers of savage pokemon many times at the guild, and they've always been told the same thing, _"I know it's not be an easy thing to do, it never really is, but sometimes you don't have any other choice,"_ Shelby dug a paw into her bag, _"you either kill, or be killed."_ Lifting her paw, Shelby pulled a large dagger from her bag, it's blade looked brand new, never tainted with the blood of a life, until today.

Umbra stared at the blade, never thinking Shelby would actually use it, "Sh-shelby?" She asked, caught off guard by the Zoroark's actions.

Holding the dagger before her, Shelby didn't look away from the Ursaring, "Umbra… please, don't let this change how you see me," she said, trying to keep her composure. Closing her eyes, a few tears trailed down her cheeks, _"I'm sorry, mom and dad, but I have no choice."_ Tightening her grip on the hilt, Shelby pushed off the ground, charging at the bear with her blade poised to strike.

After stepping within reach of the bear, Shelby swung her blade at the Ursaring's gut, but not before she felt a massive force hit her side, which had knocked her precious blade from her grasp as she tumbled a short distance down the path, her dagger landing a couple feet away from her. Feeling the sharp stinging of where the Ursaring's claws had cut into her flesh, she slowly crawled towards her weapon, however, she didn't get too far, as the large bear had stomped towards her, grabbing her red mane, and lifting her into the air.

As the bear snarled at the fox, it reached it's free paw towards her neck, grabbing her throat, and cutting off her air. "Shelby!" Umbra panicked, watching her sister being strangled by the beast.

Held up by her throat, Shelby thrashed and struggled to pry herself from the bear's grip, but it was no use, as she began to feel light headed from the lack of oxygen, and the slight blood loss from her wounds, thinking this was it, it was finally her time. Tears of both pain and sorrow built in her eyes, almost ready to accept her fate.

Starting to feel herself being lost to the darkness, Shelby jolted back to reality as she suddenly saw a flash of bright red flames burst up behind her captor, feeling herself being dropped to the ground, and instinctively grasping at her neck as she began coughing violently, focusing on refilling her empty lungs with air, _"What the hell?"_

A fair distance behind the Ursaring, Carla was leaning over Umbra's back, holding her stick out towards the large predator, the tip ignited with a small flame left behind from her sudden attack. Umbra looked at her wide eyed, "Carla? What are you doing?" She asked, watching the Braixen push herself to her feet.

"I'm not going to just sit back and watch my best friend get killed by the fuckhead, and I'm sure as hell not letting it keep us from getting that medicine…" She stumbled a bit, dropping to one knee as she stared at the large scorch mark on the Ursaring's back, seeing it turn around to face her in anger. It started stomping towards them, slowly picking up speed as it went along. With it's attention away from the Zoroark, Carla called out to her, "Shelby! Now's your chance! Grab your knife!" Umbra and Carla watched as the much larger pokemon stormed towards them, ready to take their lives without hesitation, but with it's full attention directed at them, it was unaware of what went on behind it.

Closing the gap between them faster and faster, Umbra didn't know what to do, while Carla just kept still, showing no fear towards the savage pokemon, more focused on what was happening behind it. Once if was only a few seconds away from tearing them limb from limb, Umbra huddled close to the Fire fox, expecting to feel the unbearable pain of death, but it didn't come.

Looking up, both foxes saw the Ursaring standing only a few feet away, it's eyes widened as they slowly began to dilate, a red liquid oozing from it's mouth as it let out a few small gasps and gurgles, soon falling to it's knees, then slamming onto it's belly with a large stab wound on the back of it's neck; Shelby standing behind where the bear once stood, her dagger soaked with the blood of their foe as she panted heavily.

A multitude of emotions hit the Umbreon all at once, tears welling up in her eyes as she watched Shelby lower the large knife, staring at the blood that dripped from it's blade, although, her vision began to grow a little blurry as Carla helped Umbra towards her.

As her mind flooded with the realization that she had actually taken a life, her vision began to grow more and more blurry, dropping her weapon to the ground as she fell to her knees, feeling very sick all of a sudden, and swaying a bit to all sides as she heard the muffled voices of her friends, then falling to the ground as she blacked out.

* * *

Hearing a faint crackling sound, and feeling the warmth of a nearby flame, Shelby slowly opened her eyes, expecting to see the thick foliage of leaves overhead, however, she was actually surprised when she saw the bright red sky overhead, "Where am I?" She asked no one in particular, although her question was quickly met by a familiar voice.

"Shelby?" The Zoroark turned her head, seeing the other two sitting next to a fire nearby. Umbra quickly stood up and hurried over to her big sister with a worried, yet relieved expression, while Carla stayed by the fire, poking it with her stick, as she stared deep into the flames. "Shelby, are you okay?" The Umbreon asked, standing at her side.

Shelby sat up, noticing her movements feeling a bit restricted as she felt bandages wrapped around her, "I've been better," she said, looking back to the sky, "how long have we been here?"

Looking to the sky as well, Umbra thought it over, "Well, I'd say about two hours, give or take." Shelby sighed, looking down in guilt, "What's wrong?" Umbra inquired.

"We failed him," she said, covering her face, "we couldn't find the Shaymin's Blessing in time… we weren't able to save him." Looking back to her bag, Umbra let out a small chuckle, catching Shelby's attention, "Why are you laughing?" Not saying a word, Umbra went back to the fire, opening her bag and taking out a small, green plant, which looked no longer than maybe four inches, being just a stem with a couple leaves sprouting out, Shelby looking at it in almost disbelief, "Is that?" Umbra nodded, looking over to a patch of somewhat taller grass, seeing many of the small plants clustered together.

"After you fainted, Carla and I carried you away, and we just so happened to find the grove we were looking for," she looked back to the fox, "as soon as we saw the Shaymin's Blessing, I used some of it to heal your's and Carla's injuries, although your's needed more time because of how bad they were."

Shelby was overjoyed, they might actually be able to rescue Vincent, however, as she looked up to the sky, she wasn't too sure again, "But, will we be able to make it back in time?" She asked.

Tenderly placing her paw on Shelby's shoulder, Umbra smiled at her big sis, "Don't worry, Shelby; Carla's trying to contact Guildmaster Dana about this, and hopefully we can get teleported out of here," she glanced back at the Fire fox, "but we might be too far for her telepathy to reach the guild, so she's been staring at the fire to try and concentrate a little better. She's been silent for about an hour and a half now, so I'm actually wondering if they were able to connect or not."

Looking past the Umbreon, Shelby observed the Braixen; she sat on her butt with her knees pulled up to her chest, sitting completely still in a trance-like state, picking up her stick every couple minutes or so and poking the fire. "Isn't that the technique Guildmaster Dana taught her?" She asked, sitting back.

"Yeah, but I never actually learned how it works," Umbra replied, watching Carla poke the fire with her stick again.

Meanwhile, as the other two were speaking with each other, Carla was still deep in her trance; she had been able to reach somewhat close to the guild in her telepathic range, but she was already at her limit, and she had always been told that pushing her range too far could shatter her mind. So her only option now was to hopefully locate someone in town, and get them to bring her mom within range.

("Come on… where are all the townsfolk?... Ugh, we really need some sorta telepathy relay point in Brightvale, or at least the-") As Carla began to feel her range drop a bit again, she quickly picked up her stick and poked the fire, re-establishing a steady focus on her range, ("I hate it when that happens… maybe that's why it-")

("Hello?") Carla heard someone say, cutting her off mid-sentence.

Finally finding a response, Carla wasted no time explaining their situation, as she didn't know how long their connection would last, ("This is Carla of Burning Fox, me and my companions are deep in Brightvale Woods, and are in need of assistance.") She paused as the other voice spoke, sounding a bit like a young boy.

("O-okay, I'll-uh, I'll go tell Guildmaster Da-") The boy's voice was cut off as Carla's range dropped again.

Swearing to herself, she picked up her stick and poked the fire again, ("Dammit! I hope that kid understood what I said, we could really use an emergency teleport, but I might as well keep trying to reach some-") Carla could feel her head starting to pound a bit, ("Shit, I've been at this for too long… I gotta take a break… I just hope the kid can get mom to help us.")

Slowly pulling back her enhanced range, Carla started to feel her headache ease up a bit, although it still hurt like a bitch, groaning a bit after finally dropping her almsot two hour long trance, which had alerted the other two of her return.

"So, Carla? You get anything?" Shelby asked, eating a few berries Umbra had brought from the guild.

Sighing, Carla rubbed her temples, "Well… other than a headache, I was only able to get in contact with one pokemon," she paused as Umbra brought over a bowl of berries, "from the sound of their voice, they were probably just a kid, but since I lost the connection with them when my range dropped, so they're either not experienced with telepathy enough, or they aren't actually capable of it themselves." Carla popped a berry into her maw as she finished informing them.

"Did you at least tell them enough before you got cut off?" Shelby inquired, pulling a few pieces of jerky from her bag.

"I managed to tell him who I was, where we were, and that we needed assistance, but that's it. After that, I think I heard him say he'd go get my mom's help, and then it cut out."

Umbra looked to the sky, seeing it was growing darker as they sat in the grove, "Well, then all we can do now is-" Umbra stopped when Carla raised her paw for her to be quiet, understanding someone had reached her through telepathy.

("Hello?") Carla asked, wondering who had contacted her so quickly, and she could not be more happy about who it was.

("Carla? Are you okay, honey?!") She heard her mother ask.

("We're fine, mom; we did run into a savage Ursaring a few hours ago, but other than a few cuts and bruises, we're perfectly fine,") Carla could hear her mother sigh in relief over the telepathic link, ("anyways, we were able to find the Shaymin's Blessing, but after fighting the Ursaring, Shelby was out cold for a few hours, so we weren't able to come back right away, could you get us an emergency teleport?")

There was a pause, ("Okay, hon, I just sent your location to a few of the town's Psychic types, a portal should be appearing shortly, and it'll lead you straight to me.")

Thanking her, Carla dropped the connection, quickly telling the others a portal should appear soon, and sure enough, a swirling energy materialized nearby, spreading out a bit as it connected the two locations with each other. After gathering their things, and Shelby double checking that she had her dagger in her bag, the three passed through the portal, finally able to save Vincent's life; however, as the thought of Vincent trailed back to her mind, Carla wondered if he really did try killing himself, and if she was the cause of it.

* * *

Slowly opening his weary eyes, Vincent saw everyone from before standing around his bed, with the exception of the hot-headed Braixen. The Lucario groaned, curiouse as to why they were all looking at him the way they did, "What's going on?" He asked, lifting his paw to rub his eyes.

Completely caught of guard, Vincent suddenly felt a weight press down on him, the big chested Zoroark pressing against him as she wrapped her arms around his neck, "Thank Arceus, you're okay, Vincent." Shelby said, holding back a few tears of joy.

Not knowing what to do, he lifted his paw above her back, stopping for a moment before gently stroking her dark red mane, "Uh… it's okay?" He said, his confusion clearly audible in his tone.

"I'm assuming you're confused?" Dana asked, Vincent just replied with a shrug, and Dana began to explain what had all happened to him, and by the end of it, Vincent didn't know what to think.

"So, I was in another coma?" He asked, Dana nodding her head, "and Shelby, Umbra, and Carla went to go get me the cure?" This time, Shelby nodded, having let her emotions out and feeling much more calm.

"Yeah, but… I'd rather not talk about what happened out their," Shelby said, remembering how it felt to kill for the first time, something she didn't want to do again.

"Okay then, but why isn't Carla in here as well?" He asked.

Glancing over to the door, Dana sighed a bit, "She blames herself for what happened to you; apparently she treated you a bit poorly when you first woke up, and after we found a syringe on the nightstand, she thinks that you were trying to commit suicide because of her." Vincent was silent, looking over to the door, and seeing the Braixen's silhouette through the screen. "She does want to see you, but she wants to talk in private."

"W-well, okay…" Vincent was still confused about this whole thing.

Feeling they'd spoken with him for long enough, Dana decided it was time for them all to leave, and give Carla a chance to speak with Vincent. As they stepped through the doors, Dana pat her daughter's shoulder, giving her a nod before walking off. Carla stepped into the infirmary, and shut the door behind her. Vincent looked over to the fox as she walked towards his bed, there was an awkward silence for a few moments, before Carla finally spoke up, "L-look, Vincent… I…" she paused for a second, "I only saved you cause I felt bad about yesterday… and I…" She tightened her fists, trying to find the right words without sounding weak.

"You don't have to apologize, Carla, you didn't do anything wrong." She heard Vincent say.

"B-but… the way I treated you… it wasn't fair." She faced the floor as she rubbed her arm.

Vincent couldn't help but smirk to himself, "Carla? What do you all know about Lucarios?" He asked, catching her attention.

"What does that have to do with this?" She asked, growing a bit irritated from all the emotions she felt.

"Just answer the question," he said, keeping his voice calm.

Carla faced away, "Well… I've never actually met a Lucario before, so I don't actually know anything about them."

"You're aware of what aura is, correct?" She nodded, "Well, Lucarios are natural masters at using aura, and with enough training and focus, we can read the auras of everything around us, and I can tell you for a fact, that not a single word you said to me before had any ill intent behind it."

Carla crossed her arms and faced away, "S-so, what's your point," she said, slowly returning to her normal self.

"My point is, even if what you said was harsh, I knew from the beginning that you never meant a word of it," Carla flinched, "so, do everyone a favour, and stop blaming yourself for something you didn't cause. I have no plans on killing myself anyways, even if you did mean those words, I've dealth with much, much worse than just being called weak."

Feeling the guilt within her slowly being pushed back by anger, Carla was getting flustered from all these conflicting emotions in her mind, turning her whole body away from Vincent as she felt her face heat up, but she didn't know from which emotion, "Wh-whatever; I only saved you so I could apologize for what I said, but I guess I never needed to in the first place."

With nearly all the guilt she once felt be pushed back, Carla walked to the door, but stopped when Vincent called to her, "Hey, one last thing," she didn't turn around, "I think you'll make a great Guildmaster one day." Carla felt even more heat rise to her face, quickly leaving the room in her flustered state.

There was a moment of silence as Carla's footsteps grew quieter, before a voice spoke up inside Vincent's mind, ("Thank you, Vincent, I hate seeing her act all moody like this, and I'm sorry if she gives you any trouble while you're here, she tends to hold a grudge.")

("Don't worry about it, I don't like seeing others worry about me anyways, besides, it's kinda my fault she felt so guilty in the first place.")

("No, it's not your fault that happened to you, but I'll make sure to keep a close eye on each of the members from now on.")

(Thank you, but as soon as I'm fully recovered, then I'll be out of your hair, not that I'm not grateful for the help or anything.")

("Hm-hm, don't worry, Vincent, I understand. Afterall, the founder started this guild with the tradition of only accepting female members, so you probably would feel a bit out of place here,") he heard a yawn come from the other side of the link, ("anywho, good night, Vincent.")

("Yeah, 'night.") As he felt Dana cut the connection, Vincent let out a yawn, lying back and getting ready to sleep, thinking about what Dana had said, "Hm, yeah… female members only…" Vincent shot up, his eyes wide and his breath caught in his throat, "Wait, what?!"

* * *

 **Yeah, I was kinda wanting to wait until next chapter to reveal that Burning Fox was a female only guild, but the opportunity appeared at the end, and I decided to go for it, and if you couldn't tell, Vincent had no idea Burning Fox was a female only guild, though I might build up on that next chapter.  
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